LG choice comes with cliffhangers

Politico

2 days ago

Good morning and welcome to Wednesday.
Gov. RON DESANTIS didn't take questions from journalists Tuesday after JAY COLLINS got sworn in as Florida's next lieutenant governor.
That left a big question mark about what's next. Sure, Collins is going to be Florida's new second in command, but what everyone really wants to know is whether DeSantis intends to back Collins as his successor in the governor's mansion after his term ends.
DeSantis made it clear he would be backing BLAISE INGOGLIA to keep his seat as state chief financial officer, that he thought Florida Attorney General JAMES UTHMEIER could be in his role for 10 years (following two election cycles) and backed ASHLEY MOODY to keep her Senate seat.
So it's notable that neither DeSantis nor Collins stated their intentions surrounding 2026 on Tuesday. As Playbook reported previously, DeSantis has been weighing several options and waiting to see how his own political career pans out.
He doesn't have to decide who he'll back right away because he can see who else enters the race. Or he can just stay out of it and hope he lands in the Trump administration. He did, after all, say Tuesday that he thought Collins was 'capable of serving and leading as governor if that need were to ever arise.'
Either way, there are a few questions that emerge from Tuesday's announcement:
— How would DeSantis message for Collins? Rep. BYRON DONALDS, the candidate Trump endorsed and the only major Republican in the race, is considered the frontrunner in terms of polling and fundraising.
But DeSantis has said he doesn't see Donalds as the best person to succeed him. He gave clues Tuesday about how he might back Collins, stressing his service in the military (something they share) and highlighting his conservative record in the Legislature. By Tuesday evening, DeSantis posted a campaign-style intro video about Collins on social media paid for by a Collins-linked political committee.
'He was not only an ally of mine,' DeSantis said Tuesday, 'he was standing up for you.' As for Collins, he panned Congress as focused on 'misguided priorities' and praised the governor for the state's accomplishments. He told Playbook recently that he would take the question of whether to run 'one step at a time' if he were to be picked.
— How would DeSantis support a candidate? DeSantis is far from the prolific moneymaker he once was. Records show his federal political action committee, called Restore Our Nation, has $4.4 million cash on hand after raising under $261,000 in the first half of the year, despite sending numerous fundraising texts to supporters.
The committee sent its most recent fundraising text Tuesday evening, highlighting Collins' time as a Green Beret.
The Florida Freedom Fund, DeSantis' state political committee, netted just $1.3 million last quarter, with $5 million cash on hand. As a point of comparison: Donalds has raised $22 million since launching his campaign earlier this year.
— What happens to CASEY DESANTIS? The first lady attended Collins' swearing in Tuesday, standing alongside her husband as the new LG took the oath of office and posed for photos. Does she still have ambitions for political office, even possibly governor?
Playbook has been asking political insiders for months. Many say she was put off by the Republican state House's investigation into the Hope Florida program she spearheaded. But few were willing to rule her out completely, saying she has name recognition that could carry a candidate announcing late in the game.
— Who else will get in? Both in text messages and during the Republican Party of Florida's 'Freedom Forum' a couple of weeks ago, several insiders privately raised the possibility that others might enter the primary, including DeSantis ally former House Speaker PAUL RENNER.
Cornered by Playbook at the forum about his political future, Renner said he didn't have any announcements to make. But Donalds' early kickoff to the governor's race does underscore the ample time future candidates have to announce a run ahead of the June 2026 qualifying period.
— Gary Fineout contributed
WHERE'S RON? Gov. DeSantis is doing a press conference in Tampa at 10 a.m. with his new LG.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget that Playbook should look at? Get in touch at: [e-mail] and @leonardkl.
... DATELINE TALLAHASSEE ...
HEARING COMING TO A CLOSE — A federal judge on Tuesday heard testimony from a state witness as Florida aims to defend placing its 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration detention center in the Everglades despite environmental concerns from advocacy and tribal groups.
One of the state's main arguments is that the environmental law in question, the National Environmental Policy Act, doesn't apply, given that 'Alligator Alcatraz' was constructed and is run by the state, not federal, government.
The only witness the state brought up Tuesday was David Kerner, executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. Kerner said 'Alligator Alcatraz' was 'absolutely' a state-run facility and that some undocumented immigrants who troopers apprehended were also accused of violent crimes. The only federal involvement he was aware of was deportation flights that took off on the airstrip.
— Kimberly Leonard
— ''Petri dish for disease': attorney raises alarm of possible Covid outbreak at 'Alligator Alcatraz,'' reports Richard Luscombe of The Guardian.
— 'Endangered Florida panther kittens, born just months ago, hit and killed,' by Max Chesnes of the Tampa Bay Times.
CHALLENGE TO EVERGLADES WATER PROJECT — An environmental group has filed a legal challenge to a proposed limestone rock mine and water storage reservoir that they say will threaten the Everglades Agricultural Area reservoir north of Lake Okeechobee.
The Tropical Audubon Society and two individuals filed a request with DEP for a legal hearing on the proposed permit providing conceptual approval for the 8,632-acre Palm Beach County project.
Phillips & Jordan, a national construction contractor, calls it the Southland Water Resource Project and says it can hold up to 40 billion gallons of needed Everglades water storage. But environmentalists say it's a rock mine that will upset the hydrology underpinning the nearby EAA reservoir.
— Bruce Ritchie
BALLOT INITIATIVE CHALLENGE — 'Attorneys for grassroots campaigners are again asking a federal judge to halt enforcement of parts of a new Florida law that restricts the state's process to get citizens' initiatives on the ballot,' reports Kate Payne of The Associated Press.
'Tuesday's arguments before U.S. District Judge Mark Walker in Tallahassee were the latest attempt by attorneys for voter advocacy groups and campaigns for Medicaid expansion and recreational marijuana to carve away at a law that they argue unconstitutionally hamstrings citizens' abilities to amend Florida's constitution.'
TODAY — Associated Industries of Florida, the Florida Hospital Association, the Florida Association of Community Health Centers and the Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce are having a roundtable discussion at the Governor's Club in Tallahassee about tax credits for health insurance plans people buy on the Affordable Care Act exchanges, which are set to expire at the end of the year unless Congress extends them. Without more federal funding, the plans would become prohibitively expensive for some enrollees who would likely opt to go without coverage. The event kicks off at 10 a.m.
PUSHBACK OVER DEVELOPMENT LAW — 'A new state law critics condemn as a gift to developers across Florida is drawing mounting opposition from cities and counties now looking to fight back against Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-led Legislature,' reports John Kennedy of USA Today Network — Florida. 'The city of Deltona in Volusia County could be among the first to join a lawsuit looking to overturn the measure, which blocks local governments from making 'more restrictive or burdensome' changes to their comprehensive plans or land development codes.'
— 'Florida surgeon general supports raw milk consumption despite 21 infections,' reports Christopher O'Donnell of the Tampa Bay Times.
PENINSULA AND BEYOND
REGISTRATION OPEN — The American Business Forum is set to begin its first US summit in Miami Nov. 5-6, and will host top athletes, investors and cultural figures. The theme is 'The World Meets in America' and will feature speakers including soccer star LIONEL MESSI, actor and producer WILL SMITH, FIFA President GIANNI INFANTINO and Citadel founder and CEO KEN GRIFFIN. (Click for tickets.)
HEALTH CARE FIGHT — 'Managing healthcare bills for Miami-Dade's roughly 31,000 county employees is big business, and that's prompting a big fight at the County Commission,' reports Douglas Hanks of the Miami Herald.
'At issue is a proposal by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava to drop the county's longtime healthcare provider, AvMed, for a national competitor, Aetna — something the mayor claims would save the county about $40 million as it faces a major budget crunch. The fight to win the county's healthcare contract has gotten messy enough that commissioners are holding a special meeting Wednesday dedicated solely to picking a winner.'
— 'Spirit Airlines warns of 'substantial doubt' about its survival,' reports David Lyons of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
— 'Monique Worrell asks court what records can be released from grand jury case,' by Gabrielle Russon of Florida Politics.
CAMPAIGN MODE
POLLING ON JACKSONVILLE — 'Could Democrat Donna Deegan be a one-term Mayor of Jacksonville? New polling from The Tyson Group suggests that Republicans have an opportunity to make that happen,' reports A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics. 'The survey shows that on a ballot with just party identification and no candidate names, voters prefer a generic Republican to a generic Democrat, 42 percent to 37 percent.'
POTENTIAL APPOINTMENT COMING — 'State House Rep. Mike Caruso, R-Delray Beach, is under consideration to fill the soon-to-be-vacant position of Palm Beach County clerk and comptroller. He confirmed on Aug. 12 that he has had several discussions with Gov. Ron DeSantis and his staff about being appointed to the post,' reports Mike Diamond of the Palm Beach Post.
DATELINE D.C.
TODAY — US Education Secretary LINDA MCMAHON will visit Broward County for a beta testing event of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid. She'll be joined by Florida Commissioner of Education ANASTASIOS KAMOUTSAS and Broward County Public Schools Superintendent HOWARD HEPBURN, and nearly a thousand students and families to test the form. The event kicks off at 6:30 p.m. and the FAFSA form will launch in the fall.
TRANSITION TIME
— KEVIN GERSON, a senior vice president at the public affairs and political consulting firm SKDK, is expanding the firm's presence to South Florida. Gerson is a former press secretary to Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and a Florida communications alum of the Hillary for America campaign. At SKDK, he advises a wide variety of litigation clients, advocacy groups and Fortune 500 companies.
ODDS, ENDS AND FLORIDA MEN
— ''We couldn't believe it': Giant python wrangled, caught by 3 hunters in Everglades,' per the Palm Beach Post.